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RHODE ISLAND 

HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

Incorporated 1822 



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IN the year 1822, when Revolutionary soldiers and 
men who had taken part in the formation of the 
Union were still living in Providence, interest was 
aroused in historical affairs and a few of the leading 
men of the town began to consider means for the 
preservation of documents relating to the events which 
had taken place. It was well known that many valu- 
able records had been destroyed, either through acci- 
dent or lack of appreciation of their value. With the 
hope of guarding against further disasters, a meeting 
was held in the office of William R. Staples (after- 
wards Chief Justice of the state) on April 19, 1822, 
and measures were adopted for the formation of a 
society which should have for its aim the collection 
and preservation of Rhode Island material. In June, 
the Rhode Island Historical Society was incorporated 
by the General Assembly, and Jeremiah Lippitt, 
William Aplin, Charles Norris Tibbits. Walter R. 
Danforth, William R. Staples, Richard Ward Greene, 
John Brown Francis, William Giles Goddard, Charles 
F. Tillinghast, Richard J. Arnold, Charles Jackson 
and William E. Richmond were named as the cor- 
porators. 

Soon after its organization, the Society issued a cir- 



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cular informing the people of the state of the objects 
it had in view and inviting them to co-operate in col- 
lecting and turning to account such manuscripts, 
printed works and other material as might serve to 
illustrate state, family and local history. This appeal 
met with a ready response from such men as Moses 
Brown, Col. Christopher Lippitt, Henry Bull, John 
Brown Francis and Zachariah Allen, who gave freely 
of their own family papers and so laid the foundations 
of the present collections. 

At first the Society held its meetings in the senate 
chamber of the old State House ; when it outgrew 
those quarters, Messrs. Brown and Ives offered a 
room in their counting house on South Main street. 
Still more room became imperative in 1836, and Mr. 
Cyrus Butler expressed his appreciation of the work 
the Society was doing by offering it ampler accommo- 
dations in the upper floor of the Arcade, then newly 
erected and considered quite the show place of the 
town. In 1 844, the Society moved into its own " Cab- 
inet," designed by James C. Bucklin. In 1891 this 
building was greatly enlarged, the additions conforming 
to the plain yet dignified design of the original archi- 
tect. 

The interior of the Society's building is divided into 



a large central room which is used as a general read- 
ing room, a lecture room, a manuscript vault, museum, 
offices and several smaller rooms. The books, with 
the exception of the manuscripts and the extremely 
rare volumes, are arranged about the rooms in wall 
cases almost as they might be in a large private li- 
brary, as in effect this is. Members have the privi- 
lege of browsing at will among the volumes with a 
freedom which is perhaps one of the greatest charms 
of the library. Books are loaned only to members, 
but the general public is encouraged to use the library 
for serious study and to visit the museum and portrait 
gallery. 

The Society's library now contains about 30,000 
bound volumes, 40,000 pamphlets and over 90,000 
manuscripts. 

The great aim of the Society is, of course, the col- 
lection and preservation of Rhode Island material. 
To this end are collected histories of the state and of 
various towns in the state, state and town documents 
and reports, biographies of Rhode Island men, books 
by Rhode Island authors, and the reports of Rhode 
Island churches, schools, clubs, business and charitable 
organizations. Everything which has a Rhode Island 
bearing finds a place on the shelves. 



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The department of the library which is most used 
is the genealogical section. In collecting the 1400 
volumes devoted to genealogy, the first aim has been 
to have every work in which any Rhode Island family 
figures. Beyond this, however, an effort has been 
made to obtain a representative collection of American 
genealogies and genealogical reference books. The 
industries which center in Providence are constantly 
drawing to this state men from all sections of the 
country and the Society tries to meet the wants of 
these new-comers quite as fully, so far as its resources 
permit, as of those who are bound to the state by older 
ties. The section thus developed, together with the 
collection of town histories, which so far as New 
England is concerned is practically complete, forms 
a working library for genealogical research such as 
can be found in few communities. 

In collecting literature relating to the seventeenth, 
eighteenth, and early nineteenth centuries, the Society 
has naturally become the possessor of much material 
relating to the religious history of New England. It 
has a remarkable collection of early sermons and re- 
ligious writings, biographies of ministers and publica- 
tions of the various organizations maintained by the 
different sects established here. 



The newspaper section, owing to the zeal and fore- 
thought of the founders of the Society, is remarkably 
complete. The importance of these files of early 
newspapers to the student of history can scarcely be 
overestimated. The most remarkable file, that of the 
Providence Gazette, established in 1762, discontinued 
in 1825, lacks only eleven numbers. This is the 
most complete file of a long-continued newspaper in 
existence in this country. In 1857, the state desig- 
nated the Society as the depository of the files of papers 
publishing state laws, and by this means the series of 
important papers of the state is continued. 

To the historical investigator the place of greatest 
interest in the Society's building is the fire-proof vault, 
which contains beside the eighteenth century Rhode 
Island imprints, Rhode Island broadsides, maps and 
early American almanacs, the Society's manuscript 
collections. Among the notable groups are the War- 
ner and Rice papers, which relate to the early history 
of Warwick; the correspondence of Nicholas Cooke, 
the Revolutionary governor of Rhode Island ; the of- 
ficial papers of Esek Hopkins, first Commander-in- 
Chief of the American navy ; and the collection of 
orderly books, muster rolls and manuscripts relating 
to Rhode Island's part in the Revolution. The most 



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extensive single collection is that of the papers of 
Moses Brown, the Providence merchant and manu- 
facturer. These furnish virtually a complete record 
of a successful business career from 1763-1820. 
Another important group is that of the papers of 
Theodore Foster, who was long one of the leaders in 
the civic life of the state and the first United States 
senator from Rhode Island. 

The Society is constantly receiving additions to its 
manuscript collections, not only by purchase, but also 
by gift from Rhode Islanders and the descendants of 
Rhode Islanders living away from Narragansett Bay 
who wish to feel that their family papers will be per- 
manently preserved. The Society gladly receives and 
cares for any such gifts of separate manuscripts, 
diaries, account books or family papers, no matter 
how few in number. 

Visitors to the library are particularly attracted to 
the pictures in the lecture room and to the small 
museum. In the lecture room hang views of old 
Providence and portraits of men and women prominent 
in the history of the state. The sundial and compass, 
used by Roger Williams on his journey as an exile 
from Massachusetts to Rhode Island, is in a cabinet 
in this room. Over the gallery of the central room 



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hangs the curtain of the old Providence theatre 
painted in 1812, which depicts Providence as it was 
at that time. 

In the museum are gathered many articles of his- 
toric interest. Among them are Indian arms and 
utensils, relics of the wars from that of King Philip 
to the Civil War, the famous apple tree root from the 
grave of Roger Williams, domestic utensils of Colonial 
times, and a collection of early paper money. Other 
things of historical interest, which maybe seen upon 
application to the librarian, are the coat worn by 
Oliver Hazard Perry during the battle of Lake Erie, 
the watch carried by Stephen Hopkins, the " Signer," 
and autograph letters and signatures of Roger 
Williams, Samuel Gorton, Nathanael Greene, George 
and Martha Washington and Lafayette. 

The librarian and his assistants are glad to aid 
teachers who bring their classes to visit the library, 
and if notifed in advance will make an especial effort 
to place on view the things which will best illustrate 
the period in which the class is interested. 

The library and museum constitute only a part of 
the activities of the Society. Each winter the Society 
conducts a series of lectures, open to members and 
their guests. It also issues a volume of annual Pro- 



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ceedings, and has during its existence published ten 
volumes of documents relating to Rhode Island history, 
a list of which is given on the last page. The publica- 
tions of the Society are distributed to members as 
Issued. 

The Society is supported by the income from its en- 
dowment fund which in 1 9 10 amounted toover $50,000, 
by state aid and by the annual dues of its members. 
Members are elected at the annual meeting in 
January and at the quarterly meetings in April, July 
and October, upon application endorsed by one men- 
ber and approved by the Nominating Committee, The 
entrance fee, which includes the dues for the current 
year is $5. Annual dues thereafter are $3. Life 
membership is secured by the payment of $50. 

Since the organization of the Society, students of 
history and genealogy and men prominent in the busi- 
ness and professional life of the state have been 
indentifed with its work. Owing to the early date 
at which the Society was founded and to the small 
size of the state which permits the preservation under 
one roof of everything relating to it, the Society is to- 
day unique among similar institutions. Small, per- 
haps, in comparison with those of New York and 
Pennsylvania, conservative to a degree, it houses in 

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its building on Waterman street in Providence some 
of the most remarkable collections in this country and 
what is without question, the finest collection of Rhode 
Island material in existence. The financial position of 
the Society, though modest, is such as ensures the con- 
tinuance of the work. It is hoped that the Society 
may be rich in the future as in the past in the devoted 
interest of the citizens of the state. 



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PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY. 

Annual Proceedings, 1872-1892, 1901- Each, 75 cents. 
Quarterly Publications, 1893-1900. Each, 50 cents. 

Collections. 
Vol. 

1. Roger Williams's Key to the Indian Language. Re- 

printed 1827. Out of print. 

2. Samuel Gordon's Simplicity's Defense. Reprinted 1835. 

Out of print. 

3. Potter. ElishaR. : Early History of Narragansett. 1835. 

Out of print. 

4. Callender's Historical Discourse. Reprinted 1835. Out 

of print. 

5. Staples, William R. : Annals of Providence. 1843. 

Out of print. 

6. Journal of Capt. Simeon Thayer, 1775. 1867. $5.00. 

7. Early Attempts at Rhode Island History. 1885. $2.50- 

8. Diary of John Comer, 1733. 1893. $1.25. 

9. Dorr, Henry C: Proprietors of Providence. 1897. $1.25. 
10. Harris Papers. 1902. $5.00. 

Copies of the earlier volumes of the Collections oc- 
casionally come upon the market and the Society is 
glad to aid in completing sets of its publications. 

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